Faith Depends on Remembering

Faith Depends on Remembering

Recently our pastor preached a sermon on Psalm 13. It was timely because as I was listening I couldn't help thinking about a single friend of mine who has recently lost her mom. I think what keeps me coming back to the Scriptures over and over, among other things is that fact that the writers of the Scriptures keep it real. There is no candy coating or glossing over the messiness of humanity and God's dealing with us.  

David and the other Psalmists in particular keep it real. I have perused other self-professed holy books and they just don't bring messy to the table like the Bible does. I love the fact that David really tells how he really feels. He says what we all feel at times, "How long O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?" His sense of abandonment is real. His sense of lonliness and isolation is real. And He doesn't follow the recommend formula of praise, adoration, confession, intersession....Nope. Just why are you not answering me? Why don't I feel your presence or see evidence of your working on my behalf?

But his shift comes when he remembers. That is exactly what I fail to do when I am in a crisis of despair. I forget where I have been. There was a reason when God parted the Jordan River for Joshua and his crew that He told them to gather stones of remembrance. Because the first thing we do in a crisis is lose our mind. Literally. Research shows that the affect of Cortisol on the brain, the stress hormone, is that it inhibits the brain's ability to recall stored information, properly process new information, and use critical thinking. 

So it is central to the practice of our Spiritual lives that we look back. In the sense that one does when you have wound your way up a mountain pass and you can look back from the top and see the journey in its entirety that you have just made. The twists and turns of the road made that impossible as you were climbing.  But from the backward glance you can see it clearly, all of it. It's so basic but it merits repeating:  We are not to interpret God's goodness according to our circumstances, but our circumstances according to God's goodness. And when David remembered he could say "I have trusted in your steadfast love...because He has dealt bountifully with me." So I pray to remember, and not forget all the ways and times God has shown up; so when I think He's running late, I can remind myself, just like with a trusted friend, He'll be here soon. He always shows up.